NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 13 ( Reuters) — A federal jury in New Orleans gave Merck & Company a swift victory on Wednesday in the latest Vioxx product liability suit, finding that the company had adequately warned of the heart risks associated with the arthritis pain reliever.

The jury took less than two hours to decide that Vioxx was not the primary cause of a heart attacked suffered by Anthony Dedrick, 51, in 2003 and that Mr. Dedrick’s doctor had adequate warning of the risks.

Mr. Dedrick, who had a list of risk factors for heart attacks, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and the buildup of plaque in his arteries, had been seeking $200,000 in damages — a relatively small amount in such cases.

Merck is facing more than 27,000 lawsuits from people who say they were harmed by Vioxx, which was withdrawn from the market in September 2004 after a study showed that it doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients taking it for at least 18 months.

The drug maker has said it will fight each lawsuit, case by case, rather than submit to a broad settlement agreement.

Of the Vioxx trials that have reached jury verdicts, Merck has won seven and lost four.